Hyperion
by Ragnarok-Omega
Summary: Rated R for possible future profanity. Please read and review, and enjoy!


"This is an exercise designed to test your abilities." Strung's voice rasped in over the comm-link.  
  
A sweaty yet eager hand clenched the controls.  
  
"If you pass, then you will become a full-fledged Raven and will be registered in the arena."  
  
A nervous tongue wetted dry lips.  
  
"If you fail… You die."  
  
A heart beat throbbed rapidly.  
  
"I am here only as an observer. I will not participate in this test in any way."  
  
The comm-link beeped twice as beads of perspiration fell.  
  
"Here they come. Show me what you learned on earth." So saying, Strung's mech slowly backed out of the test area.  
  
Seifer looked around, his hands gripping the control sticks. He was in a highway tunnel high above Zio City, the neon lights streaming into the clear walls that comprised the highway.  
  
He turned his mech to see where Strung was, but only a blocked off wall greeted his view.  
  
"No stopping now…" he muttered to himself. Admittedly he was nervous about this test, but in a strange way he was also eager. He had never piloted a mech like this before, content only with his old muscle tracer. Rumor had it, however, that armored cores were as far beyond muscle tracers as humans were beyond apes.  
  
"All right, time to test that theory!" he yelled, pushing both control sticks forward. The mech started off at a slow trot, plodding along the ground.  
  
"Okay, runs just like an MT…"  
  
He pressed a button on the control stick positioned right below his left middle finger, and was pressed into the back of his seat as his mech boosted straight forward.  
  
"Not like an MT… Not like an MT!" he screamed as the speed pushed him back into his seat. Muscle tracers were only capable of running, and none of them could boost like this!  
  
Pressing the boost button again, Seifer's mech jumped into the tunnel as it began to fly.  
  
"Whoa!" he yelped, looking around in awe. He was actually flying!  
  
THUD!  
  
The cockpit shook as the mech's head impacted with the ceiling. The armored core fell back to the ground as debris fell with it.  
  
"Argh… Damn!" Seifer groaned, rubbing the back of his mech. Standing his mech back up, he pushed onwards at the slow, comfortable running he was used to.  
  
His FCS locked on to something. A red square appeared on his screen, and he noticed something hiding behind the rounded corner of the tunnel to his right. Pushing forward with his left stick and pulling back with his right stick, he slid both sticks to the left at the same time so that he ran in a circular motion while turning. "Strafing", they called it.  
  
Thanks to his training with the muscle tracer, he could execute this usually tricky maneuver rather easily.  
  
"Okay… Come get it!" he yelled as he rounded the corner. He pulled the button beneath his right index finger, loosing a volley of rifle shots into the muscle tracer hiding in the rounded corner.  
  
The muscle tracer returned fire with its dual machine gun arms, the ammunition pounding into Seifer's mech.  
  
"Whew… Is it getting hot in here?" he muttered while firing. On his screen, the radiator gauge was rising with every impact. Suddenly the cockpit lights turned red as a loud beeping sounded off. "What's going on?!"  
  
The temperature rose dramatically, and he could see his armor points dropping at an increased rate.  
  
"Overheat?" he mused as his radiator fought to cool the mech. His fired a sixth time, the muscle tracer going down in flames.  
  
Seifer stayed were he was until his radiator gained control, then continued onwards. Pressing the button under his right middle finger, he switched his weapon to the small missile launcher on his mech's back.  
  
"Let's go…"  
  
He plodded down the highway, his FCS beeping as he gained a lock on another muscle tracer. Numbers appeared above the lock box, first a one, then a two. The FCS beeped once again, signaling his full lock.  
  
"Eat this!" he yelled, pressing the button under his right index finger. Two missiles shot from the launcher, streaking towards the muscle tracer.  
  
The enemy mech went down with a loud explosion as the missiles impacted into its armor.  
  
Better stick with this then! Seifer thought to himself, using his internal monologue for the first time in a long time.  
  
He continued down the highway, taking down four more muscle tracers with his missiles.  
  
Strung's voice rasped in over the comm-link.  
  
"Here's the leader. Take him out."  
  
Seifer could see that Strung disconnected the link, gesturing that the conversation was over.  
  
Or lack thereof… the young pilot thought in annoyance. In front of him, the end of the tunnel opened up as another muscle tracer walked through. This one was different, however, having more armor and armed with a rifle and a sword.  
  
The muscle tracer opened fire immediately, the laser beams from the rifle piercing Seifer's armor. There was no impact, but by Seifer's armor count the lasers were doing their fair share of damage.  
  
Seifer pulled the trigger, firing off two missiles. He zigzagged, walking quickly right and left. He watched as the twin missiles slammed home, hitting the muscle tracer, but the mech was still moving. Seifer fired off two more missiles but the muscle tracer zigzagged out of their trajectory, the missiles detonating harmlessly behind it.  
  
Seifer pulled the trigger again, but nothing happened. Looking at his ammo count at the right side of his screen, he saw that he was out of ammo.  
  
"Damn it!" he yelled, switching to his rifle. He boosted at the muscle tracer, firing off rounds of rifle ammo. The shots impacted into the muscle tracer as Seifer neared his opponent.  
  
Pressing the boost button once again, his mech executed a small hop. Seifer quickly pressed the button under his left index finger, and his armored core's blade flared to life and slashed the muscle tracer across the cockpit.  
  
A large, smoldering gash appeared on the muscle tracer's armor as the mech was covered with explosions. A final, large explosion finished off the muscle tracer.  
  
"Your piloting abilities are impressive…"  
  
Strung's voice was heard once again over the comm-link, but this time Seifer paid no heed, exultant over his victory.  
  
A small, innocent looking button labeled "overboost" at the top of his right control stick caught his attention.  
  
"Hello, what's this…?" he mused aloud, pressing it with his right thumb. He could hear a whirring noise behind him as his core powered up.  
  
"Oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!!!!!!!!" 


End file.
